Asherrie Yisrael, a Covington resident, was recently named one of three finalists for the 2012 National Online Teacher of the Year award for K-12 education.

Yisrael has taught physics, forensic science and physical sciences to grades nine through 12 at the Georgia Virtual School since 2008. She was named the 2010-2011 Teacher of the Year at the Georgia Virtual School where she currently serves as the Science Department Chair. In addition to teaching, she supervises and provides feedback to teachers as chair.

"I have had a love for science since I was a child," said Yisrael. "I was a pre-med major in college.

However, after I met my husband, he led me to teach science because he told me that I would make a greater impact as a science teacher, as opposed to a medical doctor."

"It turns out that he was correct," she added.

Yisrael began teaching science in 1994 as a long-term substitute teacher. She has now taught science for 15 years including two years as a full-time, online instructor.

Yisrael received her pre-med degree from Norfolk State University. She attended Clark Atlanta University to receive her master's and doctorate degrees.

Yisrael said that her main goal in teaching is to provide clear communication with her students which is especially important with virtual education.

"My primary goal as a virtual online teacher is to provide instruction to my students and promote critical thinking skills," she said. "My desire is to improve the level of education of my students by communicating to them the importance of being disciplined learners and striving for excellence in every aspect of life."

Georgia School Superintendent Dr. John Barge stressed the importance of virtual teaching while congratulating Yisrael.

"Virtual education is critical to the success of so many educational initiatives going on in Georgia and the U.S.," said Barge. "I congratulate Yisrael on this very deserving recognition which serves as further confirmation of the great learning environment that Georgia Virtual School offers Georgia's children. I hope that it will spark the interest of other teachers across Georgia to teach virtual courses."

Yisrael agrees with the state superintendent about the importance of virtual education.

"Virtual education is an important tool because it provides opportunities for all students including homeschooled, public school students and private school students to receive a quality education," said Yisrael.

The Southern Regional Education Board and the International Association for K-12 Online Learning facilitate the award process. For the 2012 award, online educators in public schools and state virtual schools from 26 states were nominated.

The Georgia Virtual School, which is based in Atlanta, serves more than 10,000 students statewide.

The Georgia Virtual School is a program of the Georgia Department of Education's Office of Technology Services. It is SACS and CASI accredited and has a partnership with schools to offer middle school and high school level courses statewide.